Then & Now
DID YOU KNOW? Despite the rapidly changing demographics in Deer Ridge, it is still home to the largest high school and young-adult population in St. Albert.
DEER RIDGE THEN & NOW
DEER RIDGE IS a young community,
not only in terms of when it was founded but also in terms of the people who live there—its residents have the lowest average age in all of St. Albert. Coincidence? Not at all. Many of the com munity’s first residents were young couples interested in starting families, and the demographics reflect this. However, Deer Ridge is no longer just known for being full of children. In fact, it’s now gaining buzz for having the most rapidly declining population, as the children of Deer Ridge grow up and leave to start lives and families of their own. 14 T8Nmagazine.com
1980s The construction of Deer Ridge first began in 1982, but the original vision for the neighbourhood was much smaller than the Deer Ridge we know today. The subdivision was originally planned to cover only the area east of Bellerose High School and south of Deer Ridge Drive. The northern, far eastern and western areas of Deer Ridge wouldn’t be conceived of until much later. While Bellerose High accounted for one of the boundaries in the initial plan of the area, it wasn’t completed until 1988, when it opened as St. Albert’s second public high school. Previously, all non-Catholic highschool students in the city had attended Paul Kane, and the idea of a closer, newer
high school was an appealing draw to many young parents, even though many of their children wouldn’t be attending high school for a few more years.
1990s Deer Ridge continued to grow into the 90s, with more houses being added around the perimeter of the original street plan. Muriel Martin Elementary School was completed in 1991, giving the younger children of the community a school close to home. Not long after, in 1998, J.J. Nearing Elementary School opened its doors, giving Catholic families a nearby school as well.
2000s Construction in Deer Ridge had more or less ceased by the year 2000, and the community
